Trump administration notifies Congress of jet engine sale to Turkey

The US has officially taken action for the sale of fighter jet engines to Turkey. The Trump administration has notified Congress of a 700 million dollar jet engine sale to Turkey.

According to a Reuters report, the official notification to Congress was made regarding the jet engine sale, which US President Donald Trump had announced prior to the NATO summit in Ankara by saying, "I will probably do something that will make Erdoğan very happy."

If the sale is approved, Turkey will receive 80 F110 engines. This will mark the passing of a critical threshold for the domestic 5th-generation fighter jet KAAN to move into the mass production phase.

This statement by US President Donald Trump had drawn attention to the sale of certain defense equipment that Turkey has requested from the US and which has been awaiting approval for a long time.

Sources in Ankara expect Trump to approve the fighter jet engine sale before the NATO meeting to be held in Ankara on July 7-8. The sale in question covers 80 F110 engines produced by General Electric, along with their test equipment and some spare parts. It is stated that the financial scale of the sale could reach 800 million dollars.

It is stated that the Trump administration will bypass congressional review to prevent the sales process from being prolonged.

CRITICAL FOR KAAN

Approval for the sale of the engines is of critical importance for the continuation of KAAN, the domestic 5th-generation fighter jet program that Turkey launched in 2016. The F110 engine, which is also used by F-16 fighter jets, will power the KAAN fighter jet until a domestic engine is developed.

The F110 engine is currently installed in the KAAN aircraft, which are in the prototype stage. With the 80 engines to be purchased, the mass production of 40 KAAN aircraft will be guaranteed.

Ankara's expectations regarding a return to the F-35 program and the lifting of CAATSA sanctions also continue.

After purchasing the S-400 air and missile defense system from Russia, Turkey was removed from the F-35 fighter jet program and also faced CAATSA sanctions.